The News Tribune’s 2023 Untouchables — the state’s most unbeatable high school wrestlers

Some wrestlers are good, others are great. Then there are the “Untouchables.”

These are the most unbeatable high school wrestlers from around the state, which The News Tribune has published annually before the state wrestling championships for more than 30 years running.

This year’s class includes 12 wrestlers. Four — University’s Q’veli Quintanilla, Toppenish’s Jermiah Zuniga, Granger’s Conan Northwind and Marysville-Pilchuck’s Alivia White — are competing for their third consecutive Mat Classic titles this weekend at the Tacoma Dome. Kelso’s Ethan Freund is looking to win a third state championship across two states. All 12 are defending state champions.

THE NEWS TRIBUNE’S 2022-23 UNTOUCHABLES

ETHAN FREUND (138)

Kelso (3A), senior, 16-2

Freund already has won a pair of state championships — and in two different states. As a sophomore, he wrestled in Montana, and completed the 2020-21 season with a Class AA state title. Last winter, he won another championship with Kelso, sweeping the 3A 132-pound bracket at Mat Classic. Can Freund make it three in a row? A Tri-State champion, he has also spent time training with USA Wrestling’s Elite Athlete Program in Colorado. He has a 60-7 record in his high school career. “He’s just passionate about the sport,” said longtime Kelso coach Bob Freund, Ethan’s dad, who also coached Ethan’s brother Christian to a pair of state titles in the 3A 138-pound class in 2017 and 2018. “And he puts time in constantly.”

SOFIAN HAMMOU (220)

North Kitsap (2A), senior, 35-0

Hammou pinned every opponent in the Tacoma Dome last winter on the way to a 2A state title in the 220-pound bracket. He has a perfect record this winter, including a Gut Check title, hasn’t been taken down in a match once and is “lightning quick” on the mat, North Kitsap coach Robert Gomez said. He also placed third at Mat Classic as a freshman in 2020, losing only to the eventual 220-pound champion in the semifinals, and hasn’t lost a high school match in the three seasons since. “He just wrestles in good position, and he’s really confident in what he does,” Gomez said. Hammou is just as dominant on the football field and was key in leading the Vikings to the first state championship game appearance in program history in the fall. He posted 75 tackles in 13 games at defensive end, led North Kitsap in both tackles for loss (33) and sacks (11.5) and was a TNT all-state selection.

LARS MICHAELSON (182)

Bremerton (2A), junior, 40-2

A bit longer, lankier and bigger than older brother Thor, Lars Michaelson uses his long frame to his advantage against opponents. “He adapted a different style (than Thor) where he could have an advantage,” said Ty Michaelson, Bremerton’s coach and Lars’ dad. “Lars has always been a little lankier. He wrestles more from a distance, where he can take advantage of his reach.” Also an adept hand-fighting wrestler who thrives on his feet and can attack opponents in a variety of different ways, Michaelson’s only losses came to out-of-state opponents this year. Won a 2022 state title. USAW Beach national champion and UWW World bronze medalist.

THOR MICHAELSON (170)

Bremerton (2A), senior, 40-1

When it comes to positioning, there’s maybe not a better wrestler in the state. During the course of his high school wrestling career, Ty Michaelson — Bremerton’s coach and Thor’s dad — can count on one hand the number of times he’s been taken down. “He’s very disciplined in his positioning,” Ty Michaelson said. “He’s a hand-fighter. His hand-fighting is very strong.”

Michaelson represented Team USA in the Pan-American games in Mexico and Panama, racking up four gold medals along the way. He’s a master tactician in tight spaces, never putting himself in compromising positions. “He likes to be in your face, in close,” Ty Michaelson said. Michaelson won a 2022 state title in the 160-pound weight class. USAW Fargo All-American and UWW World Silver Medalist.

CODY MILLER (145)

Sumner (4A), junior, 41-0

Last season’s 4A state champion at 152 pounds hasn’t lost a match in three high school seasons. A freshman during the shortened 2021 season, when there was no state tournament, Miller still swept the abbreviated schedule. He bested every opponent last winter on the way to his first Mat Classic title. He is still undefeated through 41 more matches this season, including winning Gut Check and Rose City titles. What has led to a perfect record to this point? Miller has mat intelligence, sticks to his plan well against each opponent and has “unbreakable confidence,” Sumner coach Matt Harshman said. “He gets wrestlers to kind of buy into what he’s trying to accomplish every match, and so that’s where I think he really separates himself,” Harshman said. “So, I think that’s just understanding his leverage and his length, but just being so unpredictable with how he wants to score points.” Miller is 85-0 in his career with the Spartans.

MITCHELL NEINER (138)

South Kitsap (4A), senior, 47-0

Neiner signee hasn’t lost a match this winter and added Pac Coast, Gut Check and Rose City titles to an already impressive career during which he has compiled a 121-8 record across four seasons. “He’s gone to literally hundreds of tournaments, and just has so much volume under his belt that his technique has had a lot of time to get refined over the years,” South Kitsap coach Conner Hartmann said. “Very advanced wrestler.” As a sophomore in 2020, Neiner’s only loss at Mat Classic was to the eventual 4A 113-pound champion, and he rallied to win four consecutive matches to earn a third-place finish. Last season, he topped the podium in the 4A 126-pound bracket. He is 80-1 the past two seasons. Headed to Cal Baptist to wrestle at the Division I level.

CONAN NORTHWIND (182)

Granger (2B/1B), senior, 45-2

Granger coach Richard Sanchez has never seen Northwind — the state’s best small-school wrestler — in a bad mood in the mat room. “He’s just a happy-go-lucky guy,” Sanchez said. That’s not to say he’s not intense. “Every single day is like preparing for a state title match,” Sanchez said. “He works hard all the time.” Northwind’s skillset resembles that of a lower-weight wrestler. He’s well-versed technically and can beat opponents in different ways. “He has freakish strength,” Sanchez said. “He’s just so strong. He grabs a hold of you and it’s like, ‘Jeez.’ Then he hits you with finesse. He’s so light on his feet, so quick, so agile. He has the best of both worlds, as far as technique.” The Gut Check and Tri-State champion is going for his third career state title.

Q’VELI QUINTANILLA (145)

University (3A), senior, 15-5

Don’t be fooled by the record — three of Quintanilla’s five losses are no-contest defaults. The other two came at the Ironman tournament in Ohio, considered one of the nation’s toughest tournaments. Quintanilla has been dealing with a knee injury much of the season, and he’s been working his way back in time for Mat Classic. When healthy, he’s indisputably one of the state’s elite wrestlers, having won two career state titles. His two older brothers, Izaec and Clai, were both star wrestlers in Spokane, too. “He’s got a lot of drive to be the best,” said University coach Ryan Montang. Sometimes Montang and his coaching staff have to get on the mat with Quintanilla to give him a challenge. “He’s very strong,” Montang said. “He is lightning fast. He can go from one thing to another, to another before you even knew what happened. You’re just overwhelmed with chain wrestling before he scores. … He’s stronger than anybody he wrestles, faster, then just the experience of actually knowing how to utilize speed and strength makes it really tough to handle.”

LIBBY ROBERTS (105)

University (4A/3A Girls), sophomore, 38-4

The Roberts name carries plenty of weight at University and in Spokane. Her dad and two-time collegiate All-American Kevin Roberts and her older brother Drew Roberts both starred at University. Could Libby be on her way to being the best? Consider that she’s gone up against plenty of the boys and routinely beats them. She became the first girl to ever reach the Tri-State tournament finals in the boys bracket. “It’s been pretty awesome having Libby,” said University coach Ryan Montang, who coaches Libby alongside Kevin Roberts. “She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around, fully dedicated to what she’s doing. She’s always the first one in, last one to leave … Her ability to make an in-match adjustment is second to none.” On top of all the experience, the work ethic and technical ability, what sets Roberts apart is plain nastiness. “She’s hard-nosed, gets into tough, physical matches,” Montang said. “She’s not afraid to bang heads, get a bloody nose, keep grinding. I’ve never, ever, ever seen her back down from a situation.”

A.J. SALGUERO (120)

Orting (2A), sophomore, 40-3

Of all Orting’s quality pieces and returning state champions, Salguero has been the most dominant, rolling through every in-state opponent on the schedule this winter. Salguero has a Judo background, something he’s able to deploy from a variety of funky positions and spots on the mat. “He’s got really super strong body awareness,” said Orting coach Jody Coleman. “He’s just really dangerous from all positions in wrestling. Even when it looks like he’s out of position, he can feel where his opponent’s center of gravity is. He just always comes out on top in those weird, awkward positions.” Has a 76-4 career record, is a two-time Tri-State tournament champion and won the 106-pound state title in 2022 as a freshman.

ALIVIA WHITE (190)

Marysville-Pilchuck (4A/3A Girls), senior, 29-0

White notched her 100th career win recently and hasn’t lost since her freshman year, dominating everyone she comes across. “She’s a pretty technical wrestler,” said Andrea White, her coach and mom. “She’s very patient and methodical. She really calculates, works with what she’s given, flows right into move after move. She doesn’t just have one go-to move.” Her best physical trait is pure strength, throwing opponents with ease. “She’s very strong,” White said. “She just loves the sport.” White is a two-time Mat Classic champion and will be part of a new women’s wrestling program at the University of Iowa.

JERMIAH ZUNIGA (152)

Toppenish (1A), senior, 40-3

The oldest of three Zuniga brothers wrestling for Toppenish, Zuniga is a two-time Mat Classic state champion and has given his siblings big shoes to fill. “He’s constantly competing with his siblings,” said Toppenish coach Jose Segovia. “He’s relentless. They go after each other, they’re nonstop. It’s just very competitive.” On the mat, Zuniga deploys a dizzying array of moves, daring his competition to keep up. “A lot of speed,” Segovia said. “A lot of movement, head fakes, misdirections. He’s able to read his opponents and adjust very well to their techniques, the way they strategize in the match.” Committed to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.